Poster © Kadokawa Animation. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
|
GenreAction, Adventure & Animation
RatedR
Runtime2 hr 15 mins
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2024
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorNaoyuki Itō
StarringSatoshi Hino, Yoshino Aoyama, Hitomi Nabatame
|
Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom (2024)
| ▶Stream It | ★The Numbers |
| 🎫Get Tickets | ✎Edit History |
| iIMDb Profile | %Rotten Tomatoes |
| WWikipedia | LLetterboxd |
| TTMDB | +Add to Top 8 |
| Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure & Animation |
| Rated | R |
| Released | 09/13/2024 (IMAX); 09/20/2024 (Japan) |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 2 hr 15 mins |
| Budget | Not reported |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Based On | Overlord by Kugane Maruyama and So-bin |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom's Interests | |
| General | Giant walls, demi-human armies, undead legions, sorcery, and very uneasy alliances. |
| Music | Shūji Katayama |
| Movies | The 2002 middle chapter, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Big wall, bigger army. |
| Television | Overlord. This one slots in during season four, so catch up first. |
| Heroes | Ainz Ooal Gown. Answers a call for help, which is somehow the scariest part. |
| Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom's Crew | |
| Director | Naoyuki Itō |
| Writers | Naoyuki Itō |
| Cinematography | Yoshio Watanabe |
| Music | Shūji Katayama |
| Edited By | Mariko Tsukatsune |
| Production | Kadokawa, Hakuhodo DY M&P, Madhouse, AT-X, NTT Docomo |
| Distributed By | Kadokawa Animation |
IGN called Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom more of a footnote to the anime series than an entertaining movie, and if you’ve never seen the show, it’s a 135-minute footnote. It adapts an arc the TV series only mentions in passing and slots into the middle of the fourth season, so newcomers start several steps behind. The Sacred Kingdom has lived in peace for years behind an enormous wall, until the demon emperor Jaldabaoth marches in with an army of demi-humans. The panicked neighbors turn to the Sorcerer Kingdom and its undead army for help, which is a bit like calling the fire department and getting a dragon. Naoyuki Itō directs for Madhouse, and the big battle set pieces are impressive, enough that The Guardian thought a little more focus could have put it near Princess Mononoke. Fans love it, and the movie.guru score sits at 8.0. A 5.8 because the spectacle lands and the story assumes you did the homework. $83.15 says you start the series from episode one tonight just to learn who everybody is.
What works: The battle set pieces are striking and grand, and Madhouse gives the world a heroic sweep that fans of the series will eat up.
What doesn’t: It plays like a chapter of a TV show rather than a standalone film, and newcomers get almost no help catching up.
Who it’s for: Longtime Overlord viewers who want a big-screen look at an arc the TV show only mentioned in passing.
Spoilers
Without mapping every reveal: once the Sorcerer King answers the call, the war never quite feels like the Sacred Kingdom’s own, and The Guardian caught a fatalistic sense that its outcome is being decided somewhere else. Expect surprising revelations and hidden powers in unlikely places.
The Sacred Kingdom has spent years safe behind an enormous wall. That peace ends the moment the demon emperor Jaldabaoth shows up with an army of demi-humans. With the region desperate, the call for help goes to the last place anyone wants to ask: the Sorcerer Kingdom, home of Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown (Satoshi Hino) and his undead army. Neia Baraja (Yoshino Aoyama) and Remedios Custodio (Hitomi Nabatame) are right in the middle of it. Naoyuki Itō directs for Madhouse, adapting the light novels by Kugane Maruyama. One hundred thirty-four minutes, bones included.
Fans of the anime who have been waiting on this arc. Bring a bigger wall.
| Satoshi Hino | |
| Yoshino Aoyama | |
| Hitomi Nabatame |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 20 October 2026 DataBot +320 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $7.7M; Domestic box office $1.7M; Opening weekend $1.1M; profit note now waits on a budget; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes audience 94% (250+ verified ratings); IMDb users 6.9 / 10 (2,457 votes); movie.guru score 8.0.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 20 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.